Charter Communications just added ExerciseTV, a free fitness and lifestyle On Demand channel from ExerciseTV, a digital fitness network and part of NBCUniversal. Now when you browse through available on-demand content you can get encouragement to workout.

The on-demand channel has a variety of workouts that range from cardio to abs to yoga and dance. Programming includes content from expert fitness professionals including Jillian Michaels, Jackie Warner, trainers from Crunch gyms, Chris Freytag, Billy Blanks Jr. Other fitness gurus will be cycled into the lineup as it becomes available.

“Finding time to exercise isn’t easy between juggling work and family,” said Kara Lamberti, senior director, Video Product Management at Charter. “Motivating yourself to fit in a workout at the gym isn’t easy either and ExerciseTV On Demand makes exercise convenient, easy and fun.”

One of the benefits of exercise programs On Demand is the variety of workouts Charter offers. You can stay in the cardio section and still have a few days of different workouts, or vary the disciplines from cardio to resistance, and so on.

Over the summer this may be a rainy day solution. In the winter it easily turns your family room into a gym and lets you stay in shape in colder months.

Charter Communications Official Website

OK, it isn’t exactly like mountain climbing; in fact it is more like rope climbing from grade school gym class, but you won’t need a 40-foot ceiling and there is no fear of falling from such heights either. More importantly rope climbing is a great full-body strength training exercise as well as a true cardio workout.

The machine features a heavy-duty welded tubular steel frame, a pulley wheel, and a looped rope that creates a continuous climbing action, while a front-mounted switch box allows the user to control speed, power, and direction of the rope. So with this device you can get your climb on and on and on!

MtEverClimb Official Website

A new workout game will hit consoles in March. Fit in Six from Ubisoft will be available on the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. As the title suggests, Fit in Six focuses on six modalities to get you in shape and reach your goals. Those are core body, upper body, lower body, cardio, balance and flexibility.

Workouts are individually tailored for your stated goals. Ubisoft plans to provide more content for PlayStation users through the PlayStation Network. On the Sony console users can also upload their own music. Once it’s in the system, the game’s software evaluates the beats per minute and other elements and selects songs that are appropriate for your given routine. The PlayStation 3 version uses the PlayStation Move as a controller to capture your movements.

Wii offers its own attributes to Fit in Six. The game uses Ubisoft’s USB camera and will be sold in a bundle or separately from the device. The camera lets the Wii and game evaluate your movement. It also gives you a picture-in-picture view so you can compare your positioning with that of the on-screen instructor.

In total, Fit in Six will have about 24-hours of workout time, which of course can and should be repeated for best results. Workouts range from cardio and toning exercises to dance and personalized routines based on your goals.

We’re not sure yet how adaptive Fit in Six is, but it sounds like it creates content for you based on your goals and has the ability to vary routines so you don’t get bored.

Ubisoft Fit in Six

Concept Footsticker for dance class.

Bare feet get a lot of attention these days. Running in bare feet or bare feet-like shoes from Vibram are said to be healthy. Yet if you choose to go bare, your feet are vulnerable to injuries such as twists, slips, and the dreaded pebble or glass. A concept from designer Frieke Severs from Nike EMEA for “Footstickers” covers key points of the foot to provide better motion control, more feeling for the direct floor contact and a surface-grabbing silicon surface to propel you in your workout.

Concept Footstickers for combat cardio.

Concept Footstickers for yoga.

These Footstickers come sport-specific for yoga, combat cardio for kickboxing class or other aggressive activities, and dance. We’d like to see a pair for running, walking, and maybe swimming at a rocky beach. Maybe there can even be corrective styles to help with people who overpronate or have other foot problems.

We wonder if these will be re-usable. Or possibly will be sold in packs of 20 so you can wear one per class and toss them at the end of your workout.

via [Behance Network; PSFK presents Future of Health and Boing Boing]

Cycellicious reports that the city of Pleasonton, California is experimenting with the use of microwaves to trigger traffic lights to change. This method is more reliable than cameras, can distinguish vehicle types and give cyclists more time to get through the intersection than cars, and works with lightweight travelers such as cyclists. You may still have to wait at a few traffic lights, but the time will be reduced. About enough time to practice your track standing skills.

[Via Cyclelicious: Microwaves, bikes, and traffic lights]

SuperFly hula hoops

One source, BodyHoops.com, sells SuperFly, a one pound hoop, for $15 plus $3 for each additional hoop. Many gyms, including Crunch Fitness, offer hula hoop-based workout classes. There’s examples of a few classes on YouTube.

Commitment to working out is time consuming in itself. Just suiting up can take 10 or more minutes. That’s where 10 Minute Solution, a workout game for the Wii, really shines. A pair of five-minute, routines lets you squeeze in cardio time, and even a little ab workout to boot. The Wii version takes the popular 10 Minute Solution DVDs with fitness personality Jessica Smith to an interactive level. The start menu lets you select activities such as cardio boxing, step routines, and mixed games to get you into condition. Each program lasts five minutes, and the benefit of the Wii over the DVD version is the routines are anything but. The instructor selects moves dynamically rather than a practiced routine so it doesn’t get old.

Step things up with the Wii Balance Board to get you more active. The peripheral is not required, but gives you a platform to step on. Without the board the 10 Minute Solution doesn’t score on certain woukouts, but you’re in it for the cardio benefits, not a bunch of numbers. The Wii version also contains an ab workout, which is video taken from the DVD series and is talked about as a bonus. 10 Minute Solution for Wii has enough activity to get you in shape. The 10-minute workouts let you squeeze time in around your busy schedule, or between your kid’s game of Mario. Available at the end of May for a budget price of $19.99, a special bundle with one-pound weighted gloves will be available only at Costco in June.

10 Minute Solution for Wii

More importantly, unlike those fly-by-night gimmicks, this technology is actually being used by wellness centers, universities and even in rehabilitation centers as well as fitness studios and spas. Whatever works to win gold and warm up for the big day.

Twist it out on the Frank Sepe Fitness Disc.

What does a turntable, a bar, and a padded cushion do for your fitness? If it’s the Frank Sepe Fitness Disc, it provides cardio and strength training, and maybe even some toning to your core. The system’s foundation rests on its turntable. Not unlike the lazy susan you might have in your kitchen cabinet. This one is much stronger, with the capacity to hold up to 300 pounds. Stand on the turntable and twist back and forth for the foundation of your workout. To aid in resistance training, the Fitness Disc also comes with a bar that is weighted at 4 pounds, and can be separated into two- two pound batons. The bars count as part of the Fitness Disc workout, but also aid in balance while twisting.

It’s not just a twist, it’s said there’s over 100 exercises you can do with the Disc, and there’s four DVDs included in the box, along with a padded disc that you can use for floor work such as crunches. The Fitness Disc, like many home workout equipment, is gimmicky. This one just may have some strength in that it’s a low impact cardio and strength workout. A quick demo with Frank Sepe showed what you can do with the bar, and got our heart rates up. We look forward to spending a little more time with the Fitness Disc at home to try its effectiveness.

Frank Sepe Fitness Disc the Premier Workout System information page

Frank Sepe Fitness Disc the Premier Workout System product page on Home Shopping Network